Field of the Invention
The preferred embodiments are directed to an industrial hydraulic power take-off unit (PTO) and more particularly, to a hydraulic PTO which does not require a clutch adjustment and which allows for maximum side load capability. The invention can be used wherever a disconnect is required between the driven equipment and the prime mover. The inventive PTO may be used in any stationary or mobile applications such as within the wood chipping industry where wood chippers are configured to chip whole trees of a large diameter, or perhaps on an agricultural tractor, dump truck, boom, winch, or the like.
Discussion of the Related Art
Hydraulic PTO units have been known to be used in a variety of applications. Historically, a single PTO unit was developed in such a way that it could be used in a number of applications with a number of different power sources. For example, one PTO design may be used to power a generator, a winch, a centrifugal pump, a blower, a compressor, and a fan. Each one of these applications may require a unique power source, such as a large diesel engine, a small gas engine, or anything in between or similar Each unique application may also have a unique housing for the engine and PTO. For example, a generator will have a unique housing and footprint compared to that of a centrifugal pump.
When configuring the PTO for use with each individual application, proper care must be taken in order to ensure that lubricating oil within the unit sufficiently flows through the necessary areas of the assembly. Due to the unique configuration of each engine and machine housing, the PTO unit is typically installed in various positions/angles, depending on the application. As proper flow of lubricating oil is critical to PTO longevity and performance, ancillary hydraulic lines, pumps, and reservoirs are commonly installed to ensure the lubricating oil reaches all the necessary components and properly drains. Known PTO units therefore require customization for each application.
Some PTOs have tower sections with tower drive ears or pads for driving accessories that extend outwardly from the main PTO housings that hold clutches and brakes of the PTOs. Different applications require different tower orientations relative to the main PTO housings, which can present challenges for the oil flow path routing for shared lubrication of the tower sections and main PTO housings. Accordingly, gravity could not be relied on to properly drain the oil to a wet sump, since each installation of the PTO most often requires a unique orientation. As a result, different tower orientations require different oil plumbing kits, including changing a current tower orientation to a different tower orientation if a machine gets reconfigured.
Oil plumbing kits or adding supplemental hydraulic lines, pumps, and reservoirs to the PTO adds significant expense to the hardware as well as significant expense to the installation of the PTO. In order to keep design costs down, the design of the PTO would not be changed for each unique application. What is therefore needed is a PTO that is configured for installation in a variety of applications and can easily adapt to properly flow the lubricating oil, regardless of the orientation of the device. What is also needed is a PTO that can be adaptable without adding costly additional hydraulics including lines, pumps, and reservoirs. Finally, what is needed is a PTO lubrication system that uses gravity as the draining force of the lubrication system regardless of the orientation of the PTO.